Unitary sink, counter top and drainboard construction



Nov. 6, 1956 G. T. MILLER 2,769,181

UNITARY sINx, COUNTER TOP AND DRAINBOARDCONSTRUCTION Filed sept. 17. 1954 I7 INVENTOR. GEURGE '12' MILLER F/g. 4 BY HIS TTRNE Y United States Patent O UNITARY SINK, COUNTER TOP AND DRAINBOARD CONSTRUCTION George T. Miller, Pittsburgh, Pa.

Application September 17, 1954, Serial No. 456,677

7 Claims. (Cl. 4 187) This invention relates to an improvement in a unitary sink counter top Iand drainboard construction and in particular to a construction in which sloping drainboards are provided integral with the deck.

Heretofore, in the fabrication of countertops for use in combination with either single or double bowl sinks, for mounting upon a support comprising, for example, a plurality of cabinets resting upon the floor, the base has been formed either of a solid .or plywood material upon which a protective sheet in the nature of a hard plastic material such as Formica, for example, is secured by a suitable glue or adhesive. In such construction the deck surface has always been made at and no positive drain'l provided for Water or other liquid lying outside of the sink well.

The sink construction disclosed herein consists of a drainboard made of a relatively rigid base material having a hard yet ilexible protective overlay thereon, provided with one or more flexible sections adjacent to the sink well opening which permits the rigid base to be exed at one or both ends to define the slope for the drainboard, and the drainboard shape is retained by securing to the front and back edges thereof a forming strip and a back splash board respectively, the upper edges of both of which project above the surface of the drainboard, and a molding strip at the outer ends of the drainboard, having the upper edges thereof contiguous with the upper edges of the front forming strip. f

It is :one of the objects of this invention to provide an improved unitary sink and drainboard structure in which the drainboard is relatively rigid and yet is provided with sufficient slope to drain liqu-ids coming in contact therewith into the sink bowls mounted in an opening provided therefor.

Another object of this invention is to provide a unitary sink and drainboard structure which is of rugged construction and economical to manufacture and install.

Still another object of this invention is to provide a deck with the sink well centrally located therein and which is formed of a rigid thick plywood base having a protective overlay of a hard flexible material in the nature of Formica on the upper side, which base lends itself to be flexed upward at well-established sections thereby to define a slope for the drainboard portion thereof.

These objects, as well as the various other novel features and advantages of this invention, will be apparent from the specification and the drawings attached thereto of which:

Figure 1 is a perspective View of a centrally-located double bowl sink, deck and drainboard construction embodying the features of the invention disclosed herein;

Figure 2 is a plan view of the assembly shown in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a front elevation view of the assembly shown in Figure 2, the left portion thereof being in section taken at lines III--III of Figure 2, and

Figure 4 is an enlarged section of the drainboard portion shown in Figure 3.

2,769,181 Patented Nov. 6, 1956 ICC With reference to the drawings Figures 1 through 4, the unitary sink, deck and drainboard construction embodying the features of the invention herein disclosed comprises a deck formed of a relatively thick rigid plywood base 11, having secured to the upper surface thereof an overlay 12 which may be in the nature of a plastic material and of the type which is commercially known as Formica. Through the overlay 12 and the base 11 there is provided a centrally-located opening 13 within which there is positioned a double bowl sink 14 which is fastened to the under side of the base. A ring molding 15 extends around the upper edges of the sink 14 and the upper surface thereof is contiguous with the upper surface of .the Formica overlay. To the rear of the sink, four openings 16 are provided for the various faucets required for the installation.

Adjacent to the left and right remote sides of the sink, the base 11 is provided with Itwo relatively narrow grooves 17, cut transversely across the base and which, for plywood material of five ply, may be about 3% Wide anddeep although these dimensions may be varied according to circumstances 'and conditions. The purpose of cutting the grooves is to form a flexible or hinged section so that the outer ends of the deck can be flexed upward a suh'cient amount to provide two drainboard portions 18 for' draining liquids toward the sink bowl. After the slope of the drainboards 18 has been established, which is done by mounting the deck in a jig and flexing the ends the required amount, a filler material 19 isworked into the grooves and permitted to harden, thus again to make the plywood base rigid at the grooved-out portions.

In order to retain the slope of the drainboard, a forming strip 20, with the upper edge thereof projecting above the drainboard and deck for the full length thereof, is secured to the outer edge of the plywood base by means of wood screws or other suitable fasteners. To the opposite edge of the plywood base a back splash board 21 is secured by wood screws or other fasteners which assists the front forming strip 20 in retaining the shape and the slope of the drainboards. A molding strip Z2 is fastened to the outer ends of the drainboards and extend from the forming strip 20 to the back splash board 21. The joint between the back splash board and the drainboard and deck is caulked with a suitable compound, and a cove molding 24, formed to fit the shape of the seam, is secured in place by means of suitable screws or fasteners passed through the back splash board and through an extended wing portion of the molding which projects down between the back splash board and the drainboard and deck. The seams at the front forming strip 20 and those at the molding strips 22 secured to .the Vouter end of the plywood base are caulked suitably to prevent liquids from yentering therein. The forming strip 20 and back splash board 21 are formed of plywood and covered with a protective overlay such as is used for the drainboards and deck. To the underside of the plywood base and at each of the outer ends there is secured a batten 23 which will rest upon the top of a suitable support 26 which may be in the nature of kitchen loor cabinets upon which the unitary deck, sink and drainboard structure will be mounted.

Around the edges of the back splash board 21, the drainboard outer ends and the front forming strip 20, a suitable trim 25 is applied, being preferably of a satin finish stainless steel although any suitable readily applied material may be used for the purpose.

'Ihe arrangement according to the present invention provides a unitary deck, sink and drainboard construction which lends itself readily to mass production and is a most desirable arrangement since it is readily adapted for use in various types of installations where cabinets or other floor-supported bases are to be employed in combination therewith.

In accordance with the provisions of the patent statutes, I have explained the principle and operation of my invention and have illustrated and described what I- consider to represent the best embodiment thereof. However, I desire to have it understood that within the scope of the appended claims, the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically illustrated and described.

I claim:

1. A sink and drainboard unitary structure for mounting on a support, comprising a rectangular base of plywood having a sink opening therein, a sheet of flexible protective material secured to and covering the upper surface of said base, a sink bowl mounted at the opening in said basey with its upper edge contiguous with the under-surface of said base, the base having a relatively thin flexible section extending transversely thereacross and adjacent to said opening defined by cutting a groove on the under side of said base, a hardenable filler material inserted into the transverse groove after exing said base and providing a slope for the drainboard on the side of the groove opposite the sink opening, a batten secured to the under-side of said base at its outer end adapted to rest upon a support upon which the sink and drainboard structure `is mounted, a front forming strip and a back splash board secured to the front and back` edges respectively of said exed base and with their upper edges projecting above the upper surface of said drainboard thereby rrnly to retain the slope applied to said drainboard.

2. A sink and drainboard unitary structure for mounting upon a support comprising a rectangular base of plywood having centrally-located sink openings therein, a sheet of ilexible protective material secured to and covering the upper surface of said base, a double bowl sink mounted at the opening in said base,` the base having a pair of relatively thin flexible sections extending transversely thereacross and adjacent to the most remote longitudinally spaced edges of said opening and adapted to permit the ends of the base to be exed upward thereby to define a pair of sloping drainboards, a hatten secured to the underside of said base at each of its outer ends adapted to rest upon the support upon which the sink and drainboard structure is mounted, a back splash board and a front forming strip secured to the back and front edges respectively of said flexed base and with theirk upper edges projecting above the upper surface of said drainboard thereby firmly to retain the shape applied to.

said drainboard.

3. A sink and drainboard unitary structure for mounting upon a support comprised of a relatively rigid base having a sink opening therein, a sheet of hard exible protective material secured to and covering the upper surface of said base, a sink bowl mounted at theopening in said base, the base having a relatively narrow flexible section extending transversely thereacross and adjacent to the edge of said opening to permit said base to be llexed upwardly to define a sloping drainboard-, a front forrning strip and a back splash board secured to the front and back edges respectively of said flexed base andwith their upper edges projecting above the upper surface of said drainboard thereby rmly to retain the slope applied to said drainboard.

4. A sink and drainboard unitary structure in accordance with claim 3 in which a batteri is securedV to the under side and at the outer end of said base and adapted to rest upon said support.V

5. A sink and` drainboard unitary structure in accordance with claim 3 in which means are provided at said relatively narrow flexible section to lend rigidity thereto. after flexing of said base to define the slope for said drainboard.

6. A sink and drainboard unitary structure in accordance with claim 3 in which a hatten is secured to the under side and at the outer end of said base and adapted to rest upon said support and a rigid material applied to said exible section after flexing of said base to deline the slope for said, drainboard.

7. A sink and drainboard unitary structure in accordance with claim 3 in which there is provided a centrallylocated sink, opening with a double bowl sink mounted therein and, a relatively narrow flexible section extend-` ing transversely thereacross and adjacent to the most remote edges of said opening to permit said base to be exed upward at its outer ends thereby to dene the slope for said drainboard.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,630,858 Meyercord May 31, 1927 1,881,734 Lewis Nov, l1', 1932 2,325,528 McGowan July 27, 1943 2,630,580 Schwindt Mar. 10, 1953 

